Annual cycle

[jdavis]

I am a beginner, as you will be able to tell from my question. I am trying to determine the general annual cycle for orchids, not a particular species. Here is my question:
Let's start with when the orchid is
1) flowering
then this is followed by
2) a rest period (not dormancy)
then this is followed by
3) root growth
then this is followed by
4) pseudobulb growth
then this is followed by
5) leaf growth
then this is followed by
6) flower spikes
and then hopefully 1) flowering.

Is this the correct order of events in the annual cycle of orchids? Please don't be specific about particular species, or specific length of time for each; rather I am looking for a general sequence of events in the orchid year.

Thanks.

[MrHappyRotter]

Remember, you're asking about the largest (or one of the largest) and one of the more diverse family of plants. The correct order is entirely dependent on the the specifics (i.e. the species, hybrid, genera, etc). Keep in mind, not every orchid has psuedobulbs. Many don't. If we're relegating this to only those with psuedobulbs, then the answer is still, "It depends". Also, remember that not all orchids have a rest period, but for the sake of discussion, it sounds like we can disregard that large swath of orchids that don't rest.

Generally speaking, 4 + 5 happen at the same time. Generally speaking, 3 occurs after a slight delay, but mostly happens at the same time as 4 + 5. 6 always happens before 1, without exception. 2 may or may not happen at all, but again we're disregarding all the orchids that don't really rest.

So, if we lump 6 & 1 into F (flower), then 3, 4, 5 into G (grow), and then use R to represent 2 (rest), there are, generally speaking, a few common approaches orchids with psuedobulbs can take.

F, R, G (flower, rest, grow)

F, G, R (flower, grow, rest)

F + G, R (flower and grow at the same time, rest)

[ArronOB]

With the genera that I grow (which I won’t name as you asked us not to), then your order is pretty accurate except:

The leaf grows first, and then bulges out into a pseudobulb as it matures. So 5,4 not 4,5 .

And

The cycle may be repeated 2 or three times in a year, so you get

2
3
5
4
3
5
4
And back to 2 for winter

Or even

2
3
5
4
3
5
4
3
5
4
2

Or if you get flowers, then there may be a 6,1 after the first or the last 5,4 .

So the very best situation, for a particularly vigorous plant that flowers twice per year, will be:

2
3
5
4
6
1
3
5
4
3
5
4
6
1
and back to 2 (and exhausted)

And to further confuse the issue, if you have a plant with multiple leads then it may be both flowering on the newly ripened pseudobulbs plus putting out new growths on other parts of the plant all at once.

That’s for the plants I grow. Other alliances will be quite different.

Cheers

[jdavis]

Does root growth follow flowering, regardless of whether it rests or not?
I see that root growth can also occur at the same time that leaves (and/or pseudobulbs) are growing.
Your responses have been very helpful.

---------- Post added at 08:15 AM ---------- Previous post was at 08:10 AM ----------

so now I am reversing myself.
Which general types of orchids fall into:
A) flower, rest, grow

B) flower, grow, rest

c) flower and grow, rest

For example, I think that oncidiums fall into the flower, rest, grow category. Is this correct?

[SaraJean]

Originally Posted by jdavis

Does root growth follow flowering, regardless of whether it rests or not?

Like the other responses, it really just depends on the genus, species, or hybrid. Take Cattleyas for example. I have some that will only send out roots well before they bloom, some during their flowering season, some immediately after they flower, and some when ever they darn well please. Some are seasonal, some will just wait until the pseudobulb is completely developed, some p-bulbs won’t send out their roots till after they are developed and pushing a new growth.. It just depends on the species, or, the species in the background of the hybrid. Same for Dendrobiums. Many Phals will grow roots year round with no real care for the blooming cycle. Just watch and learn your individual orchids growing cycle.

[Roberta]

For any orchid, the best advice is to observe. There is no generalization, and any attempt to try to find one will just make you crazy - and shed no light either. When you see new roots starting, write the date on a tag for that plant. That will tell you, in subsequent years, when that particular plant should be repotted. What else the plant happens to be doing at the time is irrelevant.

[MrHappyRotter]

Originally Posted by jdavis

Does root growth follow flowering, regardless of whether it rests or not?

Most orchids are not annuals. I would say root growth always follows flowering, unless the plant dies during or after flowering, because eventually the orchid will develop new growths which will in turn produce new roots. Please note I'm sticking to the original context of orchids with psuedobulbs with this answer, and generally speaking, orchids that produce psuedobulbs primarily produce their new roots on their new growths. Older growths of some types are capable of growing new roots, for instance when the roots system is damaged or dies, and the older roots on some will sometimes continue to grow for several seasons/years.

Originally Posted by jdavis

so now I am reversing myself.
Which general types of orchids fall into:
A) flower, rest, grow

B) flower, grow, rest

c) flower and grow, rest

For example, I think that oncidiums fall into the flower, rest, grow category. Is this correct?

That is probably about as correct as possible when drastically over simplifying large, diverse groups of plants. It's true for some Oncidiums, while it's definitely not true for others.

Oncidiums are actually a good demonstration of why there's no truly accurate, all encompassing answer here, and why it's deceptively complicated to try and give one. Oncidium refers to a specific genus of orchid containing hundreds of species with a wealth of diversity in growth habit, climate, habitat, etc. Of that group, there are thousands of hybrids involving some combination of those species. Beyond that, there are numerous genera that are closely allied to Oncidiums and often hybridized with Oncidiums to create intergeneric hybrids. Those genera and their intergeneric hybrids, which may or may not even have Oncidium in their background, are still often called Oncidiums by those who don't care or don't know any better.

So, to give you an answer that's anything more than lip service, we'd need to establish which Oncidiums we're talking about, and even then I think you'll find that growth habits can be highly variable and depends on the care the plants receive.

Also, as for the strict (F) flower, (G) grow, (R) rest categories, I think you'll find that those aren't as mutually exclusive as you might be thinking. For instance, many orchids bloom heaviest in the cool season (when grown in temperate climates) during what's considered their rest period. Often times flowers and flower spikes are developing at the same time the plant is actively growing, either because the orchid initiates new growths while the older growths are flowering or because the growths develop spikes and buds before they have completely matured.

Another aspect of this is that you asked for general sequence, and specifically made the request to eliminate the complexity and details of that, but now want concrete examples in nice and neat buckets. It's like asking on average how many ovaries does a human have (hint: it's approximately 1), and then asking for examples of humans with exactly 1 ovary. There are some, for sure, but good luck finding them (no offense Aunt Susie).

That aside, here are some examples of what generally might fall into those categories of "annual" cycle.

A) F,R,G - Some Cymbidiums, for instance those that bloom in the fall.

B) F,G,R - Certain Lycastes have a winter rest, then bloom in the spring, followed by new growth.

C) F&G, R - Some Miltonias (and their hybrids) produce spikes while still growing.

[Roberta]

To make sense of when an orchid does anything, you have to go back to the habitat (or habitats in the case of hybrids) For rooting, when does it rain? Where there are distinct wet and dry seasons, one would expect rooting either during or in anticipation of rain. (Orchids that come from climates where it rains most of the the time, such as Phalaeopsis, rooting also happens at pretty much any time). For flowers, when are the pollinators available? Hatching of insects could be triggered by rain, or heat, or... These patterns aren't random, and the patterns are responses to environmental events. How many environments are there? Lots. How do the responses of the plants relate to the environmental events? In lots of different ways.